The dark side of the Moon that is facing us receives light that is reflected from the Earth (called Earthshine). This can be seen with the naked eye, especially when the Moon is a crescent. Because this Earthshine is so much dimmer than sunlight, it is tricky to capture this visual effect in a photograph. To obtain this image, exposures ranging from 1/250 second to 4 seconds were combined dignitally using a technique called high dynamic range photography, which makes the darker areas visible without overexposing the lighter areas. The result is similar to what is seen visually when observing the Moon through a telescope.

Image details: Based on nine exposures ranging from 1/250 second to 4 seconds, taken with an Canon T6i camera at ISO 1600 with a 500mm Tokina lens.

November 2017